Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock Cichlid (Aulonocara sp. OB)

Add a yellow peacock splashed with orange blotches

The Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock is an aquarium-bred peacock cichlid with a bright golden-yellow body broken by irregular orange blotches that form loose bands across the flanks and freckles on the head. The dorsal fin and tail are yellow with blue edges, and adult males show a row of pale egg spots on the anal fin. Sold as Aulonocara sp. OB, the Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock brings warm colour to a hard-water Malawi aquarium without the rough behaviour of many mbuna.

OB peacocks are man-made. The Maidenhead Aquatics fish database describes hybrid peacocks such as the calico or OB peacock as aquarium-produced fish, thought to come from an Aulonocara cross, possibly with a haplochromine, that was later crossed with an orange-blotched mbuna and then line-bred to keep the peacock body shape and temperament while maximising colour. Aquarium Glaser confirms that O and OB peacocks were created by cross-breeding. The fish does not occur in Lake Malawi, but every wild Aulonocara in its background is endemic to the lake, and its care follows theirs.

Read the OB code

OB colouring also appears in our Orange Blanche Peacock Cichlid, which has dark blotches on orange, and in the multicoloured Calico Peacock Cichlid. For a wild-type yellow peacock, compare the Benga Yellow Peacock Cichlid, Aulonocara baenschi.

Check what arrives in the bag

One purchase supplies one live Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock at the standard size currently available, which is a young fish rather than a finished adult. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed. Aquarium Glaser notes that the O and OB colours are not necessarily tied to sex, so both males and females can carry the blotched pattern; males grow larger, colour up more strongly and develop pointed dorsal and anal fins with more obvious egg spots.

No two OB fish carry the same blotches. The photographs show the colour form, and your fish will have its own pattern, with colour that the Maidenhead Aquatics database says improves with age.

Decide how many males you want

• One male: the simplest plan. Seriously Fish suggests one peacock male with four to six females in most aquariums.
• Three males: the Maidenhead Aquatics database suggests one or three males with five or more females, in a large aquarium; three spread aggression better than two.
• Mixed Malawi group: OATA recommends at least 15 Malawi cichlids, slightly overcrowded, with more females than males of each kind.

Check our delivery information for dispatch days and the Live Arrival Guarantee before you order.

Size the aquarium for a 12–15 cm peacock

The Maidenhead Aquatics database gives a maximum of 12 cm for hybrid peacocks, while Aquarium Glaser gives 10–15 cm for OB and similar peacock hybrids. Plan for a fish of 12–15 cm, with males at the top of that range.

The Maidenhead Aquatics database asks for a tank at least 4 ft long with open sand and stable rock structures. Seriously Fish gives a minimum base of 120 × 45 cm, about 243 litres, for Aulonocara stuartgranti, and OATA recommends at least 200 litres for a reasonable Malawi community. A 120 cm tank of about 240 litres or more suits a small peacock group.

Work through a three-point space plan

1. Length first: 120 cm gives a male room to hold a territory while females find refuge at the far end.
2. Real volume: our tank volume calculator turns your measurements into litres, which you need for choosing the filter and heater.
3. Adult numbers: stock for 12–15 cm adults, not for the size that arrives.

Lay out sand, rock and open water

Wild peacocks live where rocky shores meet open sand, and they feed over the sand. Seriously Fish advises fine sand with rock piles that leave open feeding areas, warning that gravel or small pebbles can stop natural feeding, damage the gill filaments and be swallowed. OATA recommends coral sand or a similar substrate to help buffer the water, and complex rockwork that creates territories and breaks up lines of sight.

The Maidenhead Aquatics database notes that peacocks show better colour over a darker substrate, so a pale yellow fish like this one looks especially bright against darker sand or rock. Build rock structures directly on the glass base and make sure they cannot topple if the fish dig.

Give each zone a job

Hold the water hard, alkaline and stable

All the published ranges ask for hard, alkaline water, and Seriously Fish stresses that peacocks are sensitive to sudden chemical changes. The table compares the two main sets of figures and shows the overlap we recommend.

Compare the published ranges

Much of England has hard tap water, but supplies vary from area to area, so check your water company's postcode report. If your water is soft, the Maidenhead Aquatics database suggests coral sand or aragonite in a mesh bag inside an external filter to buffer it. Always use a tap water conditioner. Our water matcher shows how your tap water compares, and our water chemistry guide explains pH, GH and KH.

Run strong filtration and a fixed maintenance day

OATA recommends an oversized filter with strong aeration for Malawi cichlids, and Seriously Fish recommends heavy filtration in a biologically mature aquarium. Peacocks produce plenty of waste and react badly to a build-up of ammonia or nitrite, so let the filter mature fully before the fish arrive; our nitrogen cycle guide explains how.

Work through the maintenance sequence

1. Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
2. Siphon waste from the open sand while removing water.
3. Change at least 25% of the water each week, as OATA advises; Seriously Fish recommends 30–50% weekly for peacocks.
4. Bring the new water to the same temperature and hardness before adding it, and condition it.
5. Clean filter media in removed aquarium water only, and never all of it at once.

Feed an omnivore that hunts over sand

The Maidenhead Aquatics database describes hybrid peacocks as omnivores and recommends good-quality flake, granules of a suitable size and small frozen foods such as mysis and enriched brine shrimp, with vegetable matter such as cucumber, blanched spinach or romaine lettuce. Seriously Fish explains that peacocks sift mouthfuls of sand and hover just above the bottom to pick up small movements with enlarged sensory pores on the head, and FishBase records wild peacocks eating sand-dwelling invertebrates.

Plan a week of meals

OATA suggests feeding twice a day, only as much as the fish eat within a few minutes; Seriously Fish prefers three or four smaller portions a day. Small, frequent meals suit a sand-sifter, provided nothing is left uneaten.

Settle it into a mature aquarium

Test the water first: ammonia and nitrite must both read zero. OATA advises switching off the lights, floating the sealed bag for 10 minutes, adding small amounts of aquarium water over up to 20 minutes and then releasing the fish while leaving as much bag water out of the tank as you can. Our step-by-step acclimatisation guide covers this in detail.

Follow the first-week checklist

• Day 0: move a few rocks before release, which OATA says can reduce aggression, and keep the lights off.
• Day 1: offer a small portion of sinking food and watch that the new fish feeds.
• Days 2–6: check that no male is pinning it in a corner and that its fins stay whole.
• Day 7: test the water again and carry out the normal weekly change.

Choose tank mates by colour and temperament

Seriously Fish describes peacocks as relatively peaceful, but males turn on any fish with a similar colour pattern, and most mbuna are too boisterous for them. The Maidenhead Aquatics database adds that the mbuna in the OB line's ancestry made these hybrids more aggressive than pure Aulonocara, and suggests midwater haps such as Copadichromis, Cyrtocara and Placidochromis, and easygoing mbuna such as Labidochromis caeruleus, as companions. OATA recommends keeping Malawi cichlids only with other Malawi cichlids or Synodontis catfish from the lake.

Screen each companion

Run your planned mix through our tank mates checker, read our Lake Malawi cichlids guide, and browse the full Malawi cichlid range, the Lake Malawi and Victoria cichlids category and our peacock cichlids (Aulonocara).

Watch colour, appetite and behaviour

OATA describes a healthy Malawi cichlid as having clear, bright eyes, whole fins, intact scales, normal swimming and steady breathing. Its warning signs include clamped fins, flicking against objects, hanging at the surface, sitting on the bottom, colour changes, unusual hiding, white spots and reduced feeding. A Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock that loses its yellow and turns dull or dark is usually stressed.

Match each sign to an action

Understand OB breeding before you try it

Peacocks are maternal mouthbrooders. The Maidenhead Aquatics database describes the male's colour intensifying as he digs a small depression, the female laying eggs one or two at a time while he fertilises them, and around three weeks of incubation in her mouth, with the fry held for a few days more. Seriously Fish gives up to four weeks of brooding. Because this is a hybrid line, Practical Fishkeeping discourages crossing it with pure species, which muddies their genetics; keep it away from wild-type Aulonocara you intend to breed, and never sell its young as a wild species.

Answer Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock buying questions

What does OB mean in Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock?

OB stands for orange blotch, the irregular patches of orange over the body. Aquarium Glaser explains that O means orange and OB orange blotch. In this strain the blotches sit on a bright yellow body, which is where the full name comes from.

Is the Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock a wild fish?

No. OB peacocks are aquarium-produced hybrids. The Maidenhead Aquatics fish database describes them as peacocks crossed, probably with a haplochromine, and later with an orange-blotched mbuna, then line-bred for colour while keeping the peacock body shape. It is sold as Aulonocara sp. OB because there is no single species name.

Are OB peacocks always female?

No. Aquarium Glaser notes that O and OB colours are not necessarily tied to sex, so both males and females of this strain can show the blotched pattern. Males grow larger, carry more colour and usually show more prominent egg spots on the anal fin.

How big does a Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock grow?

Plan for 12–15 cm. The Maidenhead Aquatics database gives 12 cm for hybrid peacocks and Aquarium Glaser gives 10–15 cm for OB and similar peacock hybrids.

What size tank does it need?

At least 120 cm long. The Maidenhead Aquatics database asks for a tank of at least 4 ft, and Seriously Fish gives a 120 × 45 cm base, about 243 litres, for a typical peacock of this size.

How many males can I keep?

The Maidenhead Aquatics database suggests one or three males with a group of five or more females; Seriously Fish suggests one male with four to six females in most aquariums. Two males of the same colour in a small tank usually fight.

Can it live with mbuna?

Only with easygoing mbuna. Seriously Fish says most mbuna are too boisterous for peacocks; the Maidenhead Aquatics database names the Yellow Lab (Labidochromis caeruleus) as a suitable mbuna companion.

How many fish come with one purchase?

One live Yellow Orange Blotch Peacock at the standard size currently available. Sex is not chosen or guaranteed, and colour strengthens as the fish matures.

Consult the care references

• Maidenhead Aquatics fish database (fishkeeper.co.uk): Hybrid Peacock (calico/OB) — hybrid peacock strains (strawberry, calico/OB, red): origin, size, water, group structure, diet and breeding.
• Aquarium Glaser: Aulonocara 'Dragon Blood' (O and OB peacocks) — how Dragon Blood, Fire Fish, O and OB peacocks were created, their size and their variable temperament.
• Practical Fishkeeping: New Aulonocara, a man-made hybrid? — man-made pink-eyed peacocks: why they are erythristic rather than true albinos, their vision and suitable company.
• Seriously Fish: Aulonocara stuartgranti — size, aquarium base, water range, sand substrate, feeding behaviour, compatibility, sexing and mouthbrooding.
• Seriously Fish: Aulonocara baenschi — size of males and females, aquarium base, water range, compatibility and the warning that most Aulonocara hybridise.
• FishBase: Aulonocara stuartgranti — maximum length, temperature, distribution, wild diet and conservation status of a typical peacock.
• OATA: How to look after African Malawi cichlids — UK guidance on Malawi cichlid water values, group size, tank size, filtration, feeding, acclimatisation and health signs.
• Tropical Fish Co delivery policy — current dispatch days and Live Arrival Guarantee terms.